NAPAVINE — Even after all of the big games and trophies over the past three years, the veteran Napavine Tigers still apparently get jitters before the first game of a new season.
That’s according to head coach Shane Schutz, who blamed his team’s “rusty” start to nerves as the Tigers opened the season with a 55-27 win over District 4 foe Raymond-South Bend at home Tuesday night.
To the untrained eye, a 28-point victory, which included a 20-4 start after the first quarter and 24 points from senior Hayden Kaut, is a strong enough debut. But Schutz’s expectations for a team with seven upperclassmen on its nine-man roster are much higher, even if the Tigers haven’t laced up for a game in 269 days.
“With these kids, in their first game, they always play through nerves. I thought they were just nervous tonight and looked a little rusty on certain things,” Schutz said. “We’ve got a lot of improvement from here on out, but I thought we gave a pretty good effort.”
One thing that impressed Schutz in the season opener was the Tigers’ defensive energy, even though defense hasn’t been one of the primary bullet points in practice yet. Napavine opened the game with a man-to-man defense before pressuring the Ravens using a full-court press.
Tigers guards Taylen Evander and Hannah Fay poked the ball away and turned the turnovers into points, while Kaut found a rhythm late in the first quarter after missing her first couple looks.
Kaut, a University of Montana signee, raced down the floor for a layup to beat the first-quarter buzzer and put the finishing touches on a 20-4 first quarter.
RSB’s defense put more pressure on Napavine in the second quarter and forced tough shots, as the Tigers only scored one field goal in the first seven and a half minutes of the frame. The Tigers struggled again to score in the third, matching their second-quarter output with 9 points in the stanza.
Napavine made just six field goals in the second and third quarters combined before finding its rhythm again in the fourth behind Kaut’s dozen points in the fourth.
“When Hayden wants to be the best player on the floor, she can do that at any time. It’s just making sure consistently she’s wanting to be that,” Schutz said of Kaut. “Not only can she get herself points but her teammates points. Even though we’re a veteran team, we’re still getting used to one another.”
Evander tacked on 14 points, and Nicholle Valentine scored 5.
Napavine (1-0) will take a trip up north to King’s on Friday before hosting four straight games, including against Tumwater and Montesano next week.
